Tabletop Exercises
Plan and run cybersecurity tabletop exercises that test incident response roles, decisions and communications.
A tabletop exercise is a guided discussion in which the people who would handle a real incident walk through a realistic scenario, decision by decision, without touching production systems. A facilitator introduces the situation and adds developments; the group works out who decides what, who talks to whom and what they need that they do not have.
It matters because an incident response plan that has never been rehearsed is a document, not a capability. Tabletops surface the gaps safely: an unclear escalation path, a contact list that is out of date, a legal question nobody had considered, a communications decision that takes longer than expected. They also give executives a feel for the decisions they will face.
Start with one scenario that matches a risk you already worry about, invite the people who would actually be in the room, and keep the first exercise to ninety minutes. Capture observations as you go and agree three improvements before everyone leaves. Joe can help you write the scenario and the injects; the decisions and the follow-through belong to your team.
Get the full tabletop exercise workbook with a CISO Joe subscription.
What subscribers get
- Exercise planning guide
- Scenario scripts with injects
- Facilitator notes and timing
- Observation and debrief template
- Improvement action tracker